Summer at St. Mary's
Professor Jeffrey Silberschlag conducting the Chesapeake Orchestra at the River Concert Series.
Study abroad in Italy
You can participate in the Alba Music Festival, or study for a semester at our campus in the north of Italy.
PIANO FESTIVAL BY THE RIVER • 2012
St. Mary’s College of Maryland
July 6-9, 2012
St. Mary’s College of Maryland
St. Mary’s City, Maryland
“Where words leave off, music begins…” - Heine
Now nearly a decade in existence, Piano Festival by the River (previously known as Piano Fest) is a yearly summer retreat for pianists at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, a place to focus completely on the piano in community with other pianists and piano lovers.
At Piano Festival by the River you may meet a young professional pianist, a serious adult amateur with professional pursuits in another field, a talented college or high-school student, a young pianist in the midst of conservatory studies, or a piano teacher. You will get to know our artist faculty, enjoy conversation and exploration with them, and hear them in action, teaching and performing – and learning, too!
As the eminent pianist and teacher Leon Fleisher once commented, “participating in Group Master Classes provides participants with a far wider exposure to repertoire than you have in a private lesson. You benefit from the feedback not only from what you are playing but also what everybody else is playing, providing a greater overview of music.” In addition to two daily master classes, Piano Festival by the River offers private instruction with our master teachers.
Each person who comes to the piano -- and to Piano Festival by the River -- does so by way of an individual path. The variety in these paths is honored and appreciated here; what we all share is a passion for one of the most beautiful and demanding musical instruments in the world, and the music that has been composed for it.
We hope that Piano Festival by the River will give you an opportunity to leave other concerns behind for a few days, to recharge and challenge yourself, to be inspired by and to inspire others, to explore in community, to make friendships, and to receive support in your musical journey as you give support to others in theirs.
Welcome!
